Asol Posted October 2, 2009 Posted October 2, 2009 (edited) I have a hard time getting over how SZ and Grunt are about comicly ultraviolent and otherwise paper thin on any interesting character angles so far... I have been casually looking forward to ME2 but most of the info available seems rather bland. Edited October 2, 2009 by Asol All deception is self deception all hypnosis is auto-hypnosis
Wrath of Dagon Posted October 3, 2009 Posted October 3, 2009 Btw, here's Patrick Weekes explaining why ME1 seemed so disjointed at times (well, he's actually explaining a particular instance related to voice acting but I got the same feeling in lots of places) Posted 10/03/09 00:39 (GMT) by Patrick Weekes There are, I think, two major reasons that the Benezia conversation doesn't come off as well as it could have. Neither of those reasons relate to the ability of our writers, VO directors, or actors. 1) Complexity: The scene with Lady Benezia was originally supposed to take place in a different location. When level changes required us to move it, we ended up having to do some cuts. Unfortunately, said cuts made the lines lose some of their natural flow. 2) Communication: Because of the number of changes that were made, the actress got a lot of conflicting information about the attitude she was supposed to convey. She's supposed to be controlling the rachni, only there are no rachni there, and she's fighting indoctrination, so is she angry or gasping or calm or... what? These two reasons were close to our heart during ME2 voice direction. We kept conversations... not not-complex, because that's going to make people think "Oh, they're dumbing it down," and we're not... but straightforward. No conversations that could fire in one of five locations. Strict controls on conversations that have major possible branches depending on past actions (as in, it's easier from a complexity standpoint to just do completely different conversations instead of complex branching that muddies the waters -- you still get your reactivity, and both ways come off stronger). We've also gotten a ton better at communication. The writers put down a lot more notes to set the scene for the actors and directors. The directors are calling us to ask clarification questions more often. The actors are, I think, feeling more like, you know, an actor in a scene than a person in a booth recording lines. And when you play the game, I think it will show. "Moral indignation is a standard strategy for endowing the idiot with dignity." Marshall McLuhan
Maria Caliban Posted October 3, 2009 Posted October 3, 2009 Are you interested in Mass Effect 2, Wrath of Dagon? "When is this out. I can't wait to play it so I can talk at length about how bad it is." - Gorgon.
Guest Slinky Posted October 3, 2009 Posted October 3, 2009 He probably just wants a new game he can bash and whine about
Gorth Posted October 3, 2009 Author Posted October 3, 2009 Hmm... I don't know what much of the later conversation in this thread has to do with ME2, but how about giving the completely unrelated stuff a break? Saves me work and I would rather spend my precious time doing other things “He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice.” - Albert Einstein
lord of flies Posted October 3, 2009 Posted October 3, 2009 They must have changed their policy then... Who names the characters anyway? First Grunt and now "Subject Zero"? Will they start assigning numbers to them in ME3? Eh I was working on my own superhero setting a while back and I used the name "Subject Zero" for the first superhuman (he was a Nazi who got shot up in Greenland and rediscovered by a Project Blue Book-esque organization in the late 80s with brain damage). It's not a bad name, but it doesn't make any sense for this character. What is she the "Subject Zero" of? A Cerebrus mind-**** project wouldn't be infectious, would it? Fake edit: holy **** I just spent like half an hour trying to find the definition of Subject Zero. It does refer to the original patient for an infectious disease, right?
WILL THE ALMIGHTY Posted October 3, 2009 Posted October 3, 2009 See, she's not such a bad character. We keep trying to know more about wherever she came from or who she really is. "Alright, I've been thinking. When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade - make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don't want your damn lemons, what am I supposed to do with these? Demand to see life's manager. Make life rue the day it thought it could give Cave Johnson lemons. Do you know who I am? I'm the man who's gonna burn your house down! With the lemons. I'm going to to get my engineers to invent a combustible lemon that burns your house down!"
Wrath of Dagon Posted October 3, 2009 Posted October 3, 2009 Are you interested in Mass Effect 2, Wrath of Dagon? The stuff they showed before looked promising. After the SZ video I went back to being very pessimistic. They still have a chance to convince me though. "Moral indignation is a standard strategy for endowing the idiot with dignity." Marshall McLuhan
lord of flies Posted October 4, 2009 Posted October 4, 2009 See, she's not such a bad character. We keep trying to know more about wherever she came from or who she really is. Pfft. We all know "who she really is" or "wherever she really came from." Cerberus put together some kind of mind-**** supersoldier project, she's totally screwed in the head because of it. Everything else will ultimately be either immaterial or obvious to someone who recognizes hinting within the first few minutes of the game.
Nepenthe Posted October 16, 2009 Posted October 16, 2009 Mass Effect to ship January 26 2010. http://blog.bioware.com/2009/10/16/bonus-c...of-mass-effect/ You're a cheery wee bugger, Nep. Have I ever said that? Reapercussions
Guest Slinky Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 There's a new wallpaper at ME2 site. Halloween goofiness from Bio or is Shep going to get his own brand in Skynets T-800 series?
Oner Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 Don't know, but it looks cool. Giveaway list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DgyQFpOJvyNASt8A12ipyV_iwpLXg_yltGG5mffvSwo/edit?usp=sharing What is glass but tortured sand?Never forget! '12.01.13.
lord of flies Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 Don't know, but it looks cool.No, it doesn't, it looks as bland and derivative as every other character in the game. Red eyes and a ton of scars != cool. Besides which, that's obviously pre-rendered and if that look even features in the game (certainly questionable), it will look nowhere near as good since video game designers have yet to master the difficult art of lighting effects.
Hurlshort Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 Wow, little over dramatic reaction to that picture. Clearly he just had a bad time shaving that morning, and I guess they still haven't developed cameras that can eliminate red eye.
entrerix Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 the terminator was cool, that dude looks like the terminator. so he looks cool. bam! Killing is kind of like playin' a basketball game. I am there. and the other player is there. and it's just the two of us. and I put the other player's body in my van. and I am the winner. - Nice Pete.
Oner Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 Don't know, but it looks cool.No, it doesn't, it looks as bland and derivative as every other character in the game. Red eyes and a ton of scars != cool. Besides which, that's obviously pre-rendered and if that look even features in the game (certainly questionable), it will look nowhere near as good since video game designers have yet to master the difficult art of lighting effects. Tell me where I said the scar makes it cool. Or how being obviously pre-rendered detracts from it's quality, since this obviously isn't a screenshot. Or why you're trying to tell me what my opinion is supposed to be. Taking away my freedom of opinion will lead to alienation y'know. Giveaway list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DgyQFpOJvyNASt8A12ipyV_iwpLXg_yltGG5mffvSwo/edit?usp=sharing What is glass but tortured sand?Never forget! '12.01.13.
Volourn Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 "the terminator was cool, that dude looks like the terminator. so he looks cool. bam!" 'Nough said. BAM! DWARVES IN PROJECT ETERNITY = VOLOURN HAS PLEDGED $250.
lord of flies Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 the terminator was cool, that dude looks like the terminator. so he looks cool. bam!Wrong. Ripping off the Terminator's design is not cool because it shows the folks at Bioware to be a bunch of hacks (as if the original Mass Effect wasn't proof enough).Tell me where I said the scar makes it cool.Red eyes look cool, then? You should see some of my family photographs, we are a bunch of badass mother****ers by your metric.
entrerix Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 the terminator was cool, that dude looks like the terminator. so he looks cool. bam!Wrong. Ripping off the Terminator's design is not cool because it shows the folks at Bioware to be a bunch of hacks (as if the original Mass Effect wasn't proof enough).Tell me where I said the scar makes it cool.Red eyes look cool, then? You should see some of my family photographs, we are a bunch of badass mother****ers by your metric. well duh they're hacks, doesnt mean the terminator and things that are just like it arent cool. did you hate starcraft because it ripped off aliens one million times? and warhammer 40k? no. you liked starcraft because it was cool, because it ripped off cool stuff instead of ripping off stupid stuff. Killing is kind of like playin' a basketball game. I am there. and the other player is there. and it's just the two of us. and I put the other player's body in my van. and I am the winner. - Nice Pete.
lord of flies Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 well duh they're hacks, doesnt mean the terminator and things that are just like it arent cool. did you hate starcraft because it ripped off aliens one million times? and warhammer 40k? no. you liked starcraft because it was cool, because it ripped off cool stuff instead of ripping off stupid stuff. I liked Starcraft because I was twelve (note: author does not remember how old he was when he played Starcraft). After I went through the story, it was only good for the custom maps.
WILL THE ALMIGHTY Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 I bet this has something to do with him becoming robotic/geth. Just speculating. "Alright, I've been thinking. When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade - make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don't want your damn lemons, what am I supposed to do with these? Demand to see life's manager. Make life rue the day it thought it could give Cave Johnson lemons. Do you know who I am? I'm the man who's gonna burn your house down! With the lemons. I'm going to to get my engineers to invent a combustible lemon that burns your house down!"
lord of flies Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 (edited) I bet this has something to do with him becoming robotic/geth. Just speculating. Yes, that is probably correct. However, it is irrelevant since everything will play the same (poorly) and asides from (perhaps) a brief side dialogue with one of your team mates or minor comments on you being a robot, the story will march on, unstopped, because Bioware is incapable of writing anything but the most linear and derivative drek where the only serious difference that will occur based on your choices is the ending. There are never long term consequences in story terms except "remove this character from the rest of the game," which is obviously far easier than anything else. Edited October 30, 2009 by lord of flies
Slowtrain Posted October 30, 2009 Posted October 30, 2009 I have little doubt that Bioware runs every bit of promo material through some sort of cool-o-meter to make sure it hits in the red before it goes out. But, eh, they make decent games, so no biggie. Notice how I can belittle your beliefs without calling you names. It's a useful skill to have particularly where you aren't allowed to call people names. It's a mistake to get too drawn in/worked up. I mean it's not life or death, it's just two guys posting their thoughts on a message board. If it were personal or face to face all the usual restraints would be in place, and we would never have reached this place in the first place. Try to remember that.
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